Section 10-A1901. HISTORY

 

1901.1The Anacostia watershed contains lush habitat and diverse ecosystems, which in pre-colonial times supported the Nacotchtank Indians. In the early years of European settlement, the river was known as the “Eastern Branch” of the Potomac. It formed the edge of the federal city, and was the terminus of important radial avenues extending out from the U.S. Capitol in the 1791 L’Enfant Plan. 1901.1

 

1901.2In 1799, the Washington Navy Yard was established about a mile south of the U.S. Capitol. It became the main port for receiving materials to construct the new city’s monumental buildings. Wharves and fisheries were established along the shoreline, and ocean-going vessels enjoyed a navigable channel up to the port of Bladensburg, Maryland. By the mid-1800s, development around the Navy Yard extended across the river via the 11st Street Bridge to Historic Anacostia (then called Uniontown). Working class housing for Navy workers and others employed at the docks and nearby industrial areas was developed. 1901.2

 

1901.3By the time of the Civil War, tobacco farming, clear-cutting of forests, and industrial activities had silted and polluted the Anacostia. The river shrank from depths of 40 feet to barely eight feet, making it too shallow for navigation by sea-bound vessels. The Navy Yard built its last large ship in 1876. After the War, the large tobacco plantations that had dominated the landscape along the Anacostia River were broken up into smaller farms or abandoned. The blue collar settlements around the Navy Yard included a large population of freed slaves, beginning a long history of African- American neighborhoods along the river. 1901.3

 

1901.4With the construction of Washington’s sewer system in the 1880s, water quality in the Anacostia River continued to deteriorate. The tidal wetlands were the source of mosquito-borne malaria outbreaks and were prone to periodic flooding. In 1901, the Senate Parks Commission suggested (through the McMillan Plan) that riverfront open space be constructed as means of improving public health conditions and creating parkland. Between 1902 and 1926, the US Army Corps of Engineers filled in wetlands and mud flats, and constructed seawalls along the riverbanks in order to create Anacostia Park. Tons of dredged river bottom were used to create Kingman and Heritage Islands. However, the McMillan Plan vision of a grand interconnected public park system was never realized. 1901.4

 

1901.5For most of the 20th century, the Anacostia waterfront continued to be the location for unwanted land uses and neglectful land management practices. Landfilling of the marshes and wetlands continued through the 1930s and 1940s. Most of the tributaries were re-routed into storm drains, further compromising the ecosystem and health of the river. 1901.5

 

1901.6After World War II, significant population growth in the watershed affected both the river and the waterfront neighborhoods. While direct dumping into the river was curbed, highway building and development in the 176- square mile watershed led to continued pollution from stormwater runoff. Neighborhoods near the Southwest waterfront deteriorated further and finally were declared “obsolete” by planning documents of the early 1950s. Plans to rehabilitate the housing in an incremental manner were passed over in favor of more dramatic plans to clear and rebuild the entire community. These plans ultimately resulted in the largest urban renewal project in the United States. Thousands of mostly poor, African-American families were displaced and connections to the waterfront were further eroded by the new Southeast/Southwest Freeway. 1901.6

 

1901.7By the 1970s, a grass roots movement to save the Anacostia River was gaining momentum. This movement grew during the 1980s and 1990s, as groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society advocated for the restoration of the city’s “forgotten” river and improvements to its watershed to reduce pollution. Initiatives and mandates to clean the

Chesapeake Bay and implement federal water quality programs provided further impetus for action. In March, 2000, Mayor Anthony Williams and 20 different agencies controlling land or having jurisdiction over the Anacostia shoreline signed the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU led to the production and completion of the Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan in November 2003. The Framework Plan is intended to guide the revitalization of the waterfront and its shoreline communities for decades to come. 1901.7

 

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.